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but if there's a discernible difference, an objective difference between that and a well-made "bespoke" mandolin, i'd be very interested to know. I wonder if a stroll down the production line of those assembling gibson mandolins in its heyday would be radically different from those assembling "epiphone" (or whatever) mandolins in china, today.įor many reasons - apart from the thing itself - nothing could compete with a tailor made - luthier made (just for you) mandolin. One thing i gleaned from charango construction (bolivia, in my instance) is that the narrowness in the lines of the sound board counts (narrow lines produces a more resonate sound - wider, less.) the nub of the question:Īssuming that the level of craftsmanship is on a par - materials as well - how can anyone assembling an instrument in one part of the world, in accordance to a prescribed design, make something "less" than someone in another part of the world? What makes this so? is it the materials used, the care in the process, the look, This is what I am wondering? I can look at the Saga web page and see what the new model is made of, but they don't tell me how my Korean Mando is made.
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And, if I had my way, they'd have Asian nameplates - doubt that's going to happen, either. Most "junk" instruments are from Asia, but many excellent mandolins are imported from there as well. To refer to Asian-built instruments as "junk" is to make an unwarranted and inaccurate generalization.
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If someone in the US wants to stem the tide of Asian imports, that person's going to have to figure out how to build a quality instrument for half of what today's price is. No one in America that I know of is building a mandolin for less than $500 list, and most American instruments are into four figures. The reality in this world of globalization and wage differentials, is that Asian-made instruments now dominate the entry-level and much of the mid-range markets. Of course there's a lot of Asian-built junk on the instrument market, but there are also some fine Asian instrument builders: Eastman, Jade, Kentucky, The Loar, JBovier, even Rover instruments have received excellent quality/price evaluations here. And, honestly, the "Anglo-Saxonization" of instrument nameplates is partially to avoid the attitude that was expressed above: that Asian instruments are "junk."Ģ] Which they're not - surely not all of them.
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But I realize that these instruments are built in Asia to be sold in America, so they get names like Kentucky, Morgan Monroe, Blueridge, Galveston, Johnson, Savannah, Michael Kelly, The Loar, and so forth. What's wrong with Jade, Takamine, Yamaha, etc.? You don't see Toyota or Honda hiding their country of origin - nor Sony, Nintendo, Hyundai - the list goes on. It particularly bothers me when they're given the names of former American builders (Washburn, Epiphone, Flatiron, Regal, Recording King, etc.), when there's no relationship between the Asian instruments and those made by the American firms they try to invoke. Two of my favorite controversies! Here are two of my favorite answers:ġ] I, too, wish that Asian-made instruments had Asian names.